Consumers Union and NRDC conducted four state polls in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Maine with Public Policy Polling in September 2011.  The polls again show that a majority of consumers have installed more energy-efficient appliances and products, including more energy-efficient lighting, and strongly support energy efficiency standards for light bulbs.

Consumers are installing energy efficient appliances and products

The polls also show  that energy efficiency standards for light bulbs also receive strong support—69 percent in Illinois, 64 percent in Michigan, 60 percent in Ohio and 66 percent in Maine.

The public supports efficiency standards for light bulbs.

• Voters strongly support setting minimum energy efficiency standards in general for various household products that save consumers money and provide better-performing options.  Energy efficiency standards generally are supported by 68 percent of voters in Illinois, 62 percent in Michigan, 61 percent in Ohio, and 67 percent in Maine.

Voters strongly support minimum energy efficiency standards

• There’s also strong bipartisan support across all four states for energy efficiency standards.  In Illinois, 85 percent of Democrats, 76 percent of independents, and 69 percent of Republicans; in Ohio, 80 percent of Democrats, 73 percent of independents, 68 percent of Republicans; and in Maine 86 percent of Democrats, 78 percent of independents, and 64 percent of Republicans.

Support for energy efficiency standards is bipartisan.

There’s good reason that voters resoundingly support these standards and more energy-efficient light bulbs—the consumer savings, the innovations and options in lighting, more U.S. jobs and less pollution.

Our members of Congress should be standing up to preserve these consumer benefits and protect our U.S. lighting industry and the jobs it supports—not risking them to score political points.  The U.S. Senate still has the opportunity to do the right thing and stop this nonsense from continuing any further.